ID help needed

[shipwrecked]

Ok,so my wife and I were admiring our tank,and noticed these "flat oval shaped brownish reddish snail like things on the mushrooms,gonapora's,and leathers..can some one give me and id on these things,friend or foe?Should I contact my reef insurance company?..lmao They dont seem to affect whatever they are on,or at least not at the moment.Any help would be appreciated

 

[JohnS_323]

Any chance of posting some pics? Based on the colors you describe, they could be flatworms but the "snail like" looking thing throws that out. It's kind of hard to ID based on the description alone.

 

[shipwrecked]

Im gonna see if my wife can,Im good with the tank,bad with the comp...lol but maybe it is flatwaorm,they are flat..are they harmfull?

 

[JohnS_323]

Sorry to say, they're not good. The biggest problem with them is that they reproduce rapidly and can wind up smothering things to death. Also, once you get them, they are really tough to get rid of. If they do turn out to be flatworms, do some searches on this site. You'll find some good information on what they are and possbile solutions to get rid of them.

Do they sort of look like this only a darker color:

*pic from Ron Shimeks website

 

[Hawkeye]

did you recently introduce something into the tank? it's possible they may have hitched in - or were in there for a while and never got to the population size where you'd "see" them.

I wasn't aware of the down-side to flatworms - only that if the population were high enough and then suddenly they were to "crash" - then potentially the tank could be adversely affected given all of them dying at once. Something to consider if you plan on dosing the tank with something. It may be advantageous to try and use a siphon and get as many out as possible before dosing anything.

Unfortunately I am not talking from experience - so take my advice with a grain of salt. Others on the board may have exp to chat about it.

Good luck!

 

[shipwrecked]

ok,so it looks as if they ar just like that photo,but reddish..I added a few corals for the past several wks.I appreciate all the help and advice so far,just when ya think the tank is going great,something small and scary comes slurping across the tank,Im gonna search around on here and try to find/learn some more.I'd rather try not to add any chemicals,would rather check on some "natural cure,or add a predator that eats them.

 

[Brian]

Good luck with the treatment,I've been battling flatworms for awhile now in my main tank, I have 3 yellow coris wrasses and scooter blenny in there to try and keep them in check. I've dosed FWE (flatworm exit) to no avail.

If you do go the FWE route, I would recommend a 3-4x dose to make sure you get them all. I've found that if any survive the FWE treatment they become immune to it.

Good Luck!

 

[JohnS_323]

The one natural predator I know of is the six line wrasse. Others I've heard that work are scooter blenny's, mandarin's and similar type fish. Another thing you can do to help keep them in check (and give the predator a chance to wipe them out) is to get a piece of 1/4" PE tube and siphon them out. This helps bring the population down to a manageable level.

Good luck. BTW, where in Jackson do you live? We live in Hampshire Hills, right near the Shop Rite on County Line.

 

[shipwrecked]

Thanks everyone for all the info,I guess as of yet the tank isnt severe,but I imagine that could change in a blink of an eye.I live on County Line rd too,Im the warden (manager) of the mental hospital,also known as Pineview apts.

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Check out the sections on Pods, Bugs & more and also the section on flatworms to see what you have first.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/

 

[shipwrecked]

I checked out Melvs and great site.I think Im on my way with these worms,I ordered a clean up crew(6 line,yellow wrasses,mandarin,scooter blenny,and coral banded shrimp) this morning,hoping to have them in the tank by next week this time..in the meantime I will try the manual method too.I will keep ya posted.

 

[JohnS_323]

I live on County Line rd too,Im the warden (manager) of the mental hospital,also known as Pineview apts.

LOL! Good to know there's another reefer right around the corner.

 

[mladencovic]

I checked out Melvs and great site.I think Im on my way with these worms,I ordered a clean up crew(6 line,yellow wrasses,mandarin,scooter blenny,and coral banded shrimp) this morning,hoping to have them in the tank by next week this time..in the meantime I will try the manual method too.I will keep ya posted.

How big and how old is your tank? Mandarin requires well established tanks with lots of pods. It will compete with blenny ower food (pods) and it is hit or more probably miss with the flatworms.

 

[shipwrecked]

Its a 90 gal reef,and its 5 yrs old,well established,lotsa softies,polyps,LPS,and a few SPS,a clown and purple tang... Im sure I will make it through this I just never had these flatworms before,just go's to prove-theres always a first!Oh,and I have plenty of lil pods,starfish,lil bitty "foods" running around,I also bought 200 additional copa'pods just to be safe,I figure one bag in the top tank,the other in the fuge..